In recent years the chants of “the end of progress” have grown more vexatious. Generally, critics charge that the historical idea of progress and development have worked to rationalize and legitimize colonialism and imperialism. They further charge that universalism of the liberal theories was in fact Eurocentrism in disguise, justifying the domination and exploitation of non-European as a civilizing mission. They, then, boisterously declare “the end of progress,” has come. The aim of the course is to critically assess the history of this debate and try to answer whether progress is real or illusory.

Course Outline [1]